Have any of you had your diagnosis verified years later?

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I was diagnosed as a child (between like 5 and 7, or so), and as I have not even been to a psych in over 12 years, I am interested in what I would be diagnosed with now; if my original diagnosis stands, etc.

At the same time, I know myself pretty well and I don't think it really matters what label I have. I am simply more interested in having a more recently documented diagnosis, and not one done ages ago as a child. I feel that I may need more recently documented diagnosis, since I may be seeking disability assistance soon at my university, and can see the need for some accommodation at future jobs and possibly even my current one. There are just too many situations I have been in where I realize it could lead to some problems in the future if I keep keeping it under wraps.

I have a few questions but welcome you all to say anything you want on the topic.

Have any of you gone in again, many years after your original diagnosis, and had yourself assessed, to see if it was accurate?

What should I expect going in? Just being asked a bunch of questions?

Will my childhood diagnosis be a big factor in this whole process?

I have been re evaluated several times in my childhood. I have been diagnosed with autism to autistic behavior to communication problems to ADD and then AS. It was just my mother trying to get me an accurate diagnoses and it stopped after AS. It was all about her trying to get me the proper help I needed. I don't know if I will get re evaluated again when the new DSM comes out. If the company I work for wanted to get me re tested because of it, I would love that.

As a kid I was medicated often. They figured I was add/adhd. When I was maybe 9'ish the psy was talking to my parents as I focused on a random beep coming from his book shelf to the side. I think he may have stopped me and asked where my attention was and I happened to mention there was a beep coming from his bookcase. He then turned to my parents/suggested I was an Aspie but I'm unsure if that was ever my diagnosis. He mentioned it as if he had recently read up on it (this was the early 1990's).

Around 25 or so I took my paperwork from when I was younger along with tests and such, and it took them less than a hour to say I was an Aspie/wrote it down as a diagnosis and sent me on my way with a prescription.

I think the paperwork along with how I spoke/my thinking process made them think I was an Aspie. They told me thats not the way normal people think at all.

I've not officially had that happen, but my diagnosis came 9 years after a psychologist told me she thought I had Asperger's. (Age 13 is when the idea came up, age 22 is when I was diagnosed)

Do you really see this as plausible in the US? I've mostly been met with aggression. People are more keen on just saying they've had to deal with things so you should have to also. And from what I've seen there is no real "help" from employers....

I'm not being negative, I'm just simply curious for myself as I'm mostly met with aggression/have to fit in the best I can/and get laid off due to my personality quite often.

Well in the uk by law you get screened every 2 years. To receive benefits. DLA is meant to be changed this year to also need a screening to have...

1). They might ask you to sign a document so they able to get your medical file to read over it first ( might be different with your country for medical records ).
2). Then they will either ask you your past history, or from now till you left school. ( really depends on the person & how they probe the information ).

Your university or they funding department, about funding over supporting people scheme ( might want you to do they own medical ).

Really it should not change , you should probably find out if it is needed, in order to get said support.

Did you get a second opinion when you got the diagnose?

If you feel like it might be a wrong diagnosis, it's different story really you would just be doing it to reassure yourself. Or to update it.
But am I guessing you never needed extra support? Or just did not feel Comfortable asking for support? coz you will, maybe have to meet the criteria for support, that they have.

Or they might just have a site counceler that u see when you have problems? you guys have that in your country don't you, at universitys?

I was diagnosed in the early to middle 90's - as such I feel like my diagnosis, while fitting (at least when I match myself to criteria), is "dated". I did get second opinions. It's still a bit ambiguous, though. I was told I am Aspergers/HFA; I am not sure which I should say; I believe the official diagnosis was HFA. Everything to do with the special ed. stuff when I was in school said HFA. I think the last psych I was going to (over 12 years ago) was leaning toward Aspergers. I stopped going to him, though. Don't remember why.

As far as assistance - I had horrible experiences with accommodation when I was in elementary, middle, and high school. In HS I even got rid of my IEP (individualized education plan - it's for spe. ed. stuff) because they were just causing more problems for me, treating me like I was ret*d, etc. Also just wasting a massive amount of my time, and preventing me from getting into advanced placement and honors classes.

As such, I decided to forego any assistance I needed; until now. I have needed support, and I do in many ways; I just don't want people to treat me differently again, like they used to. There is added discomfort with it because I have pretty much kept my diagnosis under wraps for my entire adult life. I've only told a handful of people about it - only those closest to me.

I've also depended on family and those close friends for assistance with a lot.

At the university, the main thing I need assistance with is due to handwriting. In Latin alphabet, I can manage. However, this semester I started Russian, and I find the cursive very difficult to write (and we have to write in cursive, because thats what Russians use to write) - like, the professor marks a bunch of stuff wrong because of it. Yet, I am the best in the class, so far, at actually speaking and reading Russian. I'd be getting assistance to either give me the time I need to write legibly, or some other means.

Funny thing is I can't even do English cursive.

Don't know what the law is in your country but does special Ed mean the same thing it does here. As in spelling & reading difficultys or just HFA related?

Because by law if u have it in your country, as we do here they have to give you extra time, under the Learning Disabilitie law.

I never do cursive writing, even if I use a Fountain Pen lol.


You have Disabled Students' Program (DSP) at your uni?

Where I live, special ed. involves non-learning things too. It's all through the IEP's I referenced. My last ex went to school in the same district as me; she was blind, and she had an IEP as well - it doesn't really matter what your disability or learning disability or whatever is, it all kind of gets bundled up into one thing. Let me add to this, that up here disability related things are generally handled very poorly. Which adds to why I have been reluctant to seek assistance.

Oh also, I know that a similar law exists in the US, it's just poorly executed up here.